Originally, I thought this game only Okay, but a second look has me raising my rating. This is not "Ancient World Lite" but investing some study is rewarded.Was this comment helpful?
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2. Jakub on 3/13/2011, said:

A truly EPIC game! An interesting empire-building simulation which requires the players to make same hard decisions; feels like chess where every move has to be agonized about.Was this comment helpful?
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3. Garth G. on 4/23/2009, said:

I and most of the others in my gaming group have found the game more pain than pleasure in playing. First, the merging of Egypt and Syria to produce the fourth "The East" player stretches my acceptance of it as history. I find the battle results table too time-consuming and don't like the feel of being such a victor that I can apportion casualties. I greatly prefer The Ancient World's CRT. The Successor Wars for The East are a shambles. Essentially, the game is like Risk Visits the Ancient Mediterranean with too much baggage. There are some fun moments, but the bad outweigh the good. I will not P500 another Berg-Randall collaboration until I see the rules and playbook first.Was this comment helpful?
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4. Fabrizio on 11/8/2008, said:

i love it. a great strategic gameWas this comment helpful?
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5. Michael on 2/8/2008, said:

This is the best game I own, or have ever played. It is pure fun for those who have an interest in the ancient world, and enjoy a nice blend of civ building, war, diplomacy, and economics. Highly recommend!!!Was this comment helpful?
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6. Michael on 12/20/2007, said:

Civilization building in the ancient mediterranean, concentrating more on warfare than actual civilization. I enjoy the one dice roll combat system and while there are many intricate rules those that take the time to learn the system are rewarded.Was this comment helpful?
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7. Colin on 9/25/2007, said:

A flawed masterpiece. Pax is a fantastic game that is a bit rough around the edges. A fascinating game that can engross our game group for hours on end. The balance of the powers is very interesting and the victory point system (where each turn is worth the same amount) is fantastic.Was this comment helpful?
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Showing comments 1-7 of 7

[Added text for 2nd Edition in blue below]

How did Rome get to be Rome? Why did the Glory That Was Greece fade? What stopped Carthage from making an empire of the Mediterranean? Could the Seleucids really have conquered the western world?

These are a few of the questions you can explore in PAX ROMANA Second Edition, designed for play by all levels of gamers, from the competition-oriented, one sitting players to the Let’s Recreate History on a grand scale afficionados.

PAX ROMANA covers the Europe from 300 BC through the end of the 1st century BC, when control of the Mediterranean was in a state of flux with four empires possible. And it does so with a scale and system that is filled with decision-making tension but also highly accessible and easy to play. The emphasis is on strategic operations, from raising armies to colonizing outlying areas, to fighting barbarian incursions, to maintaining political stability at home.

PAX uses a unique marker-oriented play sequence that provides surprise and opportunity, plus a deck of unusual cards that provide the historical background of events and calamities within which the players must operate.

Each turn represents 25 years, with the movement of forces and the shifting of power occurring at a proportionately very large scale. Combat takes place throughout the game, but they, too, represent ongoing conflict as much as individual battles. But even here, subtleties are built-in: force composition matters – armies overbalanced by cheap light infantry suffer penalties, while cavalry can single-handedly make the difference between winning and losing – and knowing when and where to make a stand and when to withdraw to safer places can literally decide the fate of a power for an entire generation.

And at this scale, of course, the best-laid plans frequently go awry. In one game, Rome was all ready to sail for Sicily when suddenly an army of Gallic barbarians appeared with the play of a card and swept across northern Italy and down towards Rome. In another, the two leaders for The East (representing the Seleucids and the Ptolemies) joined together for a knock-out blow against the Greeks in Asia Minor, when the play of a different card had the leaders turning on each other, destroying over half their forces, and putting The East on the defensive for the remainder of the turn. In still another, the Greek player drew a card that he was forced to play on himself, causing civil war in his homeland and giving his enemies not only a breather, but a surprisingly easy advance.

Most important for gamers, though, is the wide variety of scenarios PAX provides, from fast-playing, one-sitting two-player games to vivid recreations of the entire era with four players. The game works well with 2, 3 or 4 players, and is designed to be playable solitaire for those interested in the historical view it provides. Scenarios range from The Punic Wars, through the Eastern Med conflicts between the Greeks and the Seleucids, all the way up to the entire 10 turn game, covering 300 years of history. In addition, there are two versions of PAX: the Standard Game, designed for fast play, and the Advanced version, which adds in much tangential history and allows for a more introspective examination of the era.

Since the game's
release, all four powers have seen victory in the full games, and while games
among new players tend to favor Carthage and the
East, Rome and Greece have won more than their share of
games among experienced players. Also since the game's release, a strong
play-by-email community has developed for Pax, with numerous games using the
excellent Cyberboard and Vassal modules going on at any given time.

The Second Edition
of Pax Romana both updates and upgrades the game. The map is now a fully
MOUNTED map (as in Twilight Struggle Deluxe, Labyrinth, etc). Any errata from
the original game has been corrected and included, with the Rulebook, Playbook,
and Charts and Tables having undergone a thorough edit and revision to produce
their second Living Rules versions. The counters and scenarios that appeared in
C3i magazine #19 are part of the package as well, along with one additional new
3-player, and a separate sheet of round money markers have replaced the square
markers used for Talents in the original. Finally, the cards will be given new
artwork to give them more visual appeal.

The single most
frequent request from players has been the addition of player "mats".
Pax Second Edition has four of these, one for each power. On these mats,
players keep their Treasury and their large army stacks, track their
Civilization Points, Geographical Objective Points, and Income level.

COMPONENTS

Note: All 2nd
Edition components have been fully updated to reflect any needed changes,
corrections, or additions, as suggested by the game's many players.

For those who want
to upgrade from the 1st Edition, spares will be available for purchase of
all the new components (set of five countersheets, new card deck, player
mats, and the set of new rulebook, playbook, and player-aid cards). The 2nd
Edition mounted map is available for P500 purchase now. We'll print enough of
those to cover what goes in the 2nd Edition game, the P500 orders for the map
alone, and a few spares, so please order yours now if you want one.